Cursed
by powerstaark
Summary: Freya's story from when she was cursed to when Merlin found her in the cage. Rated T for some bloody scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Freya wandered through the forest around her home, breathing in the smell of fresh air. She liked to go to the forest in order to be alone. Her father, mother and older brother were working back in her village. They were blacksmiths but Freya hadn't inherited their talent for making tools and weapons. Instead she had a talent for making strange things happen around her. Her father believed she was a child of magic and the fact that she was born with a strange symbol on her arm made her think the same. Freya didn't have many friends around her village but she didn't mind; she was happy with her family.

Freya noticed a few wildflowers and went over to look at them. She was about to pick them up when she heard a twig snap behind her. She spun round.

A broad man with black hair was standing behind her. He may have been described as handsome once upon a time but his face had a nasty scar which started on his left cheek, went across his nose and ended on his other cheek. His green eyes examined Freya with an expression she didn't like.

'Hello beautiful,' he said stepping forwards, 'what's a pretty girl like you doing out here?'

'Picking flowers,' Freya said nervously. The man's expression unnerved her.

'For whom?' the man asked.

'My family,' Freya said.

'Ah yes,' the man said, 'they're the blacksmiths aren't they?' Freya nodded cautiously, 'Goodness where are my manners? My name is Fernald. I moved in recently with my mother and I've been watching you for some time.'

'Why?' Freya said. The man stepped closer. Freya stepped back a pace.

'I've been waiting to get you by yourself,' Fernald said softly, 'you see, I need some love and I think you can provide that.'

'What!' Freya cried. Fernald grinned nastily. Freya tried to move away but his hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

'You're not going anywhere,' Fernald said.

'Get off me!' Freya was starting to panic.

'Come on beautiful,' said Fernald, 'all I want is some love.'

'Well you won't get it from me!' Freya cried and kicked him in the belly. Fernald let go and Freya turned and ran. The man chased after her and grabbed her by her hair. Freya screamed in pain as Fernald pulled her towards him. The girl struggled desperately but then froze as Fernald pressed a knife to her throat.

'Stop struggling or I'll kill you,' he hissed, 'In fact, I think I'll kill you anyway as soon as I'm done.' He shoved Freya onto the ground then took a rope from somewhere about his person and tied her hands behind her back. He rolled Freya over. The young girl was sobbing with terror. Fernald sniggered nastily stroking the side of her face. Then he leaned towards her…

A sudden surge of power exploded inside Freya. This man was trying to rape her and she was not going to let him. Her body filled with more magic than she'd ever used before and she yanked on the rope binding her wrists, snapping it easily without even hurting her wrists. She pulled her hands out from behind her and grabbed Fernald's head, twisting it and snapping his neck. Fernald was killed instantly.

The rage died down and Freya struggled to her feet. She looked at Fernald's body and then started to shake. She'd never killed before and it made her horrified. She'd been furious with him for what he was trying to do to her but she hadn't meant to kill him…had she?

Freya turned and ran. She didn't stop running until she was back at the village.

'Freya!' shouted a voice and Freya saw her brother, Carter, coming towards her, 'Freya what's wrong?' Carter always knew when she was upset. Freya hugged her older brother and started crying into his chest. Carter stroked her hair trying to calm her down. 'It's alright little sister,' he said soothingly, 'You're safe. Calm down.' Freya sniffed miserably, as Carter took her to their cottage and up to his room. He sat on his bed and Freya sat beside him. 'Tell me what happened.'

'I…I was in the woods,' Freya began her voice shaking, 'then that new man…the one who moved in…he…he attacked me. He said he…he said he needed some love.' Carter stared at her.

'He what!' he bellowed and Freya flinched, 'Sorry,' Carter said realising that speaking so loudly had frightened her, 'I just can't believe he was trying to…I can't believe someone would try and do that to you!' Freya wiped her eyes.

'I…he tried to kiss me but then I…I felt power inside me…more power than I've ever used before.'

'You're magic?' Carter said. Freya nodded.

'He'd tied my hands behind my back,' she continued, 'but I snapped the rope as though it wasn't there. Then I…I…' she gulped, 'I grabbed his head and…and I broke his neck. I killed him.' Carter stared at her. Freya couldn't bear to look at him.

Then her brother wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. Freya started to cry.

'It was an accident Freya,' Carter said quietly, 'I know you would never intentionally hurt someone. Besides he was trying to…you know…you were only trying to defend yourself.' Freya sniffed. Then the door opened and her mother and father came in.

'Freya!' cried her mother, 'What's the matter?'

'She's just had a hard time mother,' said Carter, 'She'll tell you about it when she's ready.'

'N-no,' Freya said through her sobs, 'I'll…I'll tell you now. Get it out of the way,' Freya's mother went over to her daughter and sat beside her on a sack filled with grain. Her father sat beside his son and daughter.

Freya told them what had happened. They were both shocked about what Fernald had tried to do, but when she told them that she'd killed him, they tried to comfort her. Freya cried herself to sleep and her father carried her to her bed.

* * *

Agatha Wrath, the mother of Fernald Wrath, was furious about the death of her son. She knew who the culprit was and she was going to make her pay. The elderly sorceress stood outside Freya's house, muttering the words of a spell. She smiled in satisfaction as the roof caught fire and the flames started to spread.

* * *

Freya woke to the smell of smoke and burning wood. She stared around in horror as she realised that the house was on fire.

Carter burst into the room a look of panic on his normally calm face.

'Freya!' he shouted, 'Come quick!' Freya struggled out of bed and they headed down the stairs towards the front door. The house was filling with smoke. Suddenly a wooden beam fell from the ceiling right towards Freya. Carter shoved her out of the way and the beam crashed down on top of him, not quite crushing him because of another beam under it which propped up one end. However he was winded and what little space he had wasn't enough to get out from under the beam.

'Carter!' cried Freya running to her brother's side. She tried to lift the beam but she wasn't strong enough. She remembered the magic that had given her such strength the day before and reached for it but it wasn't there. For some reason she couldn't use the magic and her desperation made it hard to focus. She tugged at the beam more desperately this time.

'Freya,' gasped Carter, 'Just go. Get out of here.'

'I'm not leaving you behind,' Freya said stubbornly and tried to move the beam again.

'Freya if you don't leave now you'll die too,' Carter urged, 'you have to go. Now!' Freya stared at her brother and then made one last reach for magic but it didn't come. Freya's magic was very unpredictable; sometimes it simply went away as though it didn't exist and other times it would cause strange things to happen to her or around her, such as the supernatural strength it had given her the day before. Freya couldn't control her power and now she couldn't even find it. Freya turned and ran towards the door. She made it outside just before the door frame collapsed in on itself blocking the entrance. Freya stared at her burning house. Carter was gone. She looked around, praying that her parents had escaped the blaze but she couldn't see them anywhere. She was alone.

Freya started to cry.

* * *

Agatha saw the girl emerge from the burning house, coughing and sooty but alive. Her eyes narrowed with rage. She was about to cast a curse that would kill the girl where she stood but then had a better idea. She muttered a different spell and sent a bolt of magic which hit the girl in the back. She collapsed unconscious.

* * *

Freya woke up and didn't know where she was. She couldn't remember anything. She tried to move but she couldn't. She looked around in confusion and confusion turned to fear.

She was sitting against a tree in front of a fire and was tied securely to the tree. Her hands were tied behind her back and there were ropes around her torso which stopped her from standing up or moving away from the tree. There was a gag tied around her mouth. The girl looked around in panic and then noticed an old woman standing at the side of the clearing. The woman came over and Freya saw that her eyes were filled with hatred. Freya recognised her as the mother of the man she'd killed.

'You murdered my son girl,' the old hag hissed, 'I was planning to kill you but I've had a better idea. I will curse you to kill forever more.' She stood up and started muttering the words of a spell before putting a hand on Freya's forehead. Freya tried to turn her head away but the woman grabbed her chin with far more strength than would be expected from one of her age. Keeping hold of her chin with one hand and pressing the other to her forehead the woman continued to chant. Freya struggled but the woman was holding her chin and keeping her head in place with seemingly no effort.

Eventually the woman stopped chanting and took a burning stick from the fire. She muttered at the stick which flared forming into a panther like creature with wings. Her voice rose and she thrust the stick at Freya. Freya skin flared with pain as the fiery panther disappeared into her chest and the fire on the stick went out. As quickly as it came, the pain stopped and Freya saw that no mark had been left from the fire.

Then a burning agony exploded inside Freya's body and she let out a muffled scream through the gag. The burning went through every inch of her body, every nerve felt as though it were on fire. The pain seemed to last for an eternity but finally it stopped. Freya slumped against the tree.

'Now you will kill for the rest of your life,' hissed the hag, 'This is for murdering my son.' She untied the gag from around the girl's mouth. Freya looked at the woman, her eyes shimmering with tears.

'Please,' she pleaded, 'I didn't mean to hurt him. I thought he was going to kill me. I was just…'

'I'm not interested in your excuses!' snapped the woman, 'You killed him and now you will never stop killing.' She looked at the dark sky, 'At the stroke of midnight you will turn into a vicious bloodthirsty beast. Now you will forever be a killer.' She cackled like a maniac and then turned and shuffled out of the clearing. Freya watched her go.

Suddenly a horrible sensation rose inside her. It wasn't as bad as it had been when the fiery winged panther had gone inside her but it still made her cry out in pain. Freya writhed and then watching in horror as her body started to sprout black hairs. She grew larger, quickly breaking out of the ropes that still tied her to the tree and she felt pain shoot through her back as two huge wings grew from her back. Her vision blurred, and when she tried to scream it sounded more like a roar. She hunched as her hands turned into huge black paws. When her vision returned it was different. The edges of her vision seemed to be tinged with red as though her eyes were filling with blood. She snarled like a beast as a sudden bloodlust rose inside her, an unquenchable urge to kill.

The beast ran towards the edge of the clearing and launched itself into the sky, flapping its massive wings as it soared beneath the stars. It was headed towards Freya's village.

The Bastet – for that was what Freya had become – flew towards the village with murder in its heart. The villagers looked up as the huge winged panther dived. One screamed…it was the last sound he would ever make. The Bastet's teeth were red with blood as it turned towards its next victim, leaping on him and tearing him apart.

Inside the beast the part of it that was still Freya was horrified by what she was doing. She tried to fight the bloodlust that was coursing through her but the beast's instincts were too strong. She couldn't prevent herself from leaping at a girl, not yet twenty years old, and tearing her head from her shoulders. Freya would have vomited at the sight of the blood but the Bastet only roared.

After killing several people, the Bastet noticed men and women with swords charging towards it. It snarled as one thrust at it driving the beast back. The Bastet feinted a lunge but then drew back as a woman swung her own sword. Roaring the beast backed off. Its tail whipped through the air as a man lunged at it. The tail smashing into the man's side knocking him to the ground. The Bastet leapt on top of him, claws tearing through his chest. Then it howled in agony as a man lunged and sliced of the last few inches of its tail. The Bastet turned, batting the sword out of the man's hand with a sweep of its huge paws. It leapt forwards, biting into the man's throat and then spat him out. Another man slashed at it driving it towards a barn. The Bastet snarled and backed away before turning and smashing through the wooden wall of the barn and disappearing inside. The cows inside went wild with terror but the Bastet wasn't interested in cows. It's black fur made it almost invisible in the shadows of the barn as it waited for its prey to follow it in.

Two men entered the barn and their screams echoed around the village. Then the Bastet burst out of the barn and launched itself into the air, its great wings flapping to keep it aloft. A man shot an arrow at it. The Bastet dodged and lunged down, barrelling into the man with tremendous force, hurling him against a wall where he broke his neck. It turned towards the other villagers, snarling.

Suddenly the Bastet felt its bloodlust lessening. Its urge to kill was fading. Confused, the great winged cat growled and backed away from the villagers. Inside Freya was wrestling with the beast telling it to leave. The power of the spell only lasted about fifteen minutes, not including the one minute of midnight, and the Bastet was beginning to weaken as Freya started to regain control. She urged her beast form into the air and the Bastet ran forwards and leapt into the air, flapping its great wings as it rose up and away from the village. The villagers watched it go and the Bastet roared at them one last time before disappearing over the trees.

The Bastet landed in the clearing where it had transformed and roared as it started to shrink, the wings disappearing into its back and the fur shrivelling away as though it had been burned by fire. The red haze that had clouded its vision vanished and a moment later Freya was lying by what was left of the fire the woman had created the flaming Bastet from, sobbing uncontrollably.

Freya couldn't see how her life could possibly get any worse. Her family was dead, she was a murderer and she had been cursed to turn into a bloodthirsty beast which only existed to kill. Shaking and hugging herself, Freya cried herself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Freya spent the next week wandering lost and alone. Every night she would transform into the vicious Bastet and was unable to stop herself from killing anyone she came across.

One day the young girl was wandering through a forest when she heard a screech and a huge scorpion scuttled towards her. It was a monster, larger than Freya, with an enormous sting on its tail. Freya froze and backed away from the creature then heard a screech behind her and to her horror saw another giant scorpion standing behind her. One of the stingers snapped forwards. Freya dodged and ran. The scorpions chased her with terrifying speed, smashing through foliage as they closed in.

Freya sprinted through the forest which opened out and she skidded to a halt as she found herself in front of a cliff. She looked up. She'd seen how fast the scorpions could move. She'd never be able to get out of reach in time. The two monsters emerged from the trees and Freya could sense their excitement

Suddenly a man appeared, seemingly from nowhere and stepped between Freya and the scorpions. He muttered the incantations of a spell and the scorpions stopped, seeming confused. It looked like they were in some kind of trance. Then they turned and scuttled away.

The man turned towards Freya. He was tall with pale skin and a bald head. Warm blue eyes looked down at her.

'Are you alright?' he said. Freya was still shaking but nodded. The man came over to her. He looked at her torn, dirty clothes and noticed she was very thin. She hadn't had much food over the last few days, except when she turned into her beast form, but the Bastet didn't kill because it was hungry, it killed because that was what it was made to do. She was pale and scared and the man felt a surge of pity for the poor girl, 'Come,' he said, 'I'll take you to our camp. You need food and rest and this is dangerous country.' He headed towards the trees and looked back at her. Freya hesitated then followed cautiously.

'Thank you,' she mumbled and the man smiled at her.

'What's your name young one?' he said.

'Freya,' said Freya.

'I am Thomas,' said the man, 'the leader of my druid camp. You shouldn't be out here by yourself. Those scorpions swarm the place. You're lucky there were only two of them that time.' Freya looked over her shoulder to make sure there were no other monsters around.

Thomas' camp was alive with activity. Several children ran around the place and Freya looked around and saw a woman roasting something over a fire. Some of the children looked at her, curiously. She saw a boy about her age swinging a sword in a clearing on the edge of the camp, cutting down imaginary opponents.

'Come,' said Thomas, 'I'll get you some clothes. You look like you've been having a hard time.' Freya nodded as the druid led her to a simple brown tent, 'I'll be back in a minute,' he said and left, returning a moment later with a red dress. Freya held it up as she examined it.

'Thank you,' she said. Thomas smiled and nodded before going outside so that Freya could get changed in privacy. As she was getting changed she realised that every time she turned into the Bastet her clothes remained once she'd turned back into herself, even though they should have torn off her from her much larger size. At the thought of the Bastet, Freya realised that she should warn Thomas about her curse. But she didn't know how to. If Thomas found out he might throw her from the camp. She'd been completely alone for a week and though that wasn't a particularly long time she felt lonely. She still hadn't recovered from the loss of her family either.

Thomas came back in with some food and water. Famished, Freya wolfed down the food and drank the water. Thomas watched her with a small smile.

'What were you doing in the forest Freya?' he asked gently. Freya hesitated.

'I…I lost my family a week ago,' she looked at the floor, 'They died in a fire.'

'I'm sorry,' said Thomas, 'my parents died of sickness when I was a boy. The druids took me in and I've been with them ever since,' he sighed, 'After all this time I still miss them. But those we love never truly leave us. They're always in here.' He prodded Freya's chest over her heart. Freya smiled weakly. She had only known Thomas for about half an hour but he was so gentle and kind and he had saved her life, 'Wasn't there anyone to look after you?'

'No,' Freya muttered, 'I was…well, I had to leave my village.'

'Why?' said Thomas.

'People…people think I'm dangerous,' she mumbled, 'and they're right. I…I've got magic and…and I can't control it. I've been cursed.'

'Freya, magic is not a curse,' Thomas said, 'It's a gift.'

'No you don't understand,' Freya said, 'my magic…it's dangerous…I can make things move without meaning to… I can give myself supernatural strength… I…' she stopped thinking; _I turn into a murderous beast at the stroke of midnight._

'You merely need to learn to control it,' Thomas said, 'Magic is an unpredictable power, young one. Even after generations of study we cannot predict everything it does. But we can learn to control magic to a certain extent at least.'

'I don't think it extends far enough to control me,' Freya mumbled thinking about the murderous bloodlust of the Bastet. She should just tell him but she couldn't. She knew it was selfish and she was endangering the lives of everyone in the camp but she just couldn't get the words out.

'We'll try to help you Freya,' Thomas said, 'but for now I'll give you a tour.' He led her out of the tent and showed her around the camp, telling her about the lives of the druids. The sun was beginning to set when they returned to the tent.

'You'd better get some rest young one.' Thomas said and left Freya alone in the tent. Freya lay back on the bed, angry with herself for not telling Thomas the whole story.

* * *

That night a roar shot through the camp and everyone bolted awake. It came from Freya's tent which she was sharing with Thomas as they didn't have a spare tent. Thomas was sleeping on the floor but bolted awake as he heard Freya scream. He watched in shock as the girl began to transform. Backing to the mouth of the tent Thomas watched as Freya sprouted wings and her body became covered with black fur. The Bastet reared, tearing a hole in the roof of the tent and then spread its wings tearing through the sides of the tent. The tent collapsed but the Bastet clawed its way out roaring. Other druids ran towards Thomas and stared at the beast which was snarling at them. Thomas took a deep breath and slowly stepped forwards.

'Freya?' he said and the Bastet glared at him without recognition, 'Freya it's me, it's Thomas.' The Bastet roared and leapt at him. Thomas dived to the side and the beast smashed a paw into a woman sending her flying. It overturned a pot on the fire, spilling boiling broth over a fire and whipping up a cloud of steam. The creature roared as the steam blinded it. The druids scattered while the Bastet was momentarily blinded. Snarling and roaring the huge winged panther lunged blindly through the camp tearing tents and people apart. People screamed as they fled the beast. Thomas hurried towards the monster as it tore a hole in a man's belly and smashed another aside with its tail.

'Freya, stop!' Thomas shouted and the Bastet turned towards him and started forwards.

Inside the beast Freya tried to fight her instincts. Thomas had saved her life, yet the Bastet still wanted to tear him apart. It leapt before the Freya part of it could stop it knocking Thomas to the ground.

_Stop! _Freya screamed inside the beast. There were two parts of her in a single body and the murderous part was strong. The Freya part struggled against her beastly part but the Bastet sank its teeth into Thomas' leg. The man screamed in agony.

Suddenly a bolt of magic slammed into the Bastet which roared as it was knocked to the ground. It struggled to its feet but seemed unsteady. Several druids came, forwards carrying swords.

'Wait!' Thomas called from the ground, 'Don't kill her.'

'How can you say that?' said a boy incredulously.

'She's not evil,' said Thomas, 'She can't control this power. We need to help her.' The Bastet started forwards then drew back as a man swiped his sword at it. It snarled angrily as the druids continued to feint at it with their weapons preventing it from getting close. Then it turned and headed back towards the ruined tent. The druids watched as it started to transform back into its human form. Once the transformation was finished Freya lay sobbing on what was left of the tent. The druids watched her as she cried herself to sleep. Thomas' compassion for all life forms had put them in danger but he was their leader so they picked up the sleeping girl and moved her to a tent while others carried the injured Thomas to the healing tent.

* * *

Freya woke up and found herself lying in a tent. A woman was sitting beside her.

'You okay?' she asked. Freya nodded and then remembered the beasts rage and bloodlust.

'I'm so sorry,' she cried, 'I couldn't control myself. I…'

'I know,' said the woman quietly, 'I know you didn't mean to do it. Luckily Thomas is still alive.'

'How…how's his leg?' Freya asked trying not to think of all the blood she'd seen through the eyes of the Bastet.

'Not good,' muttered the woman and her gentle expression slipped slightly and showed a flash of anger, 'but he'll live.'

'I'm sorry,' Freya said looking at the ground, 'How many…who did I…kill?'

'The Bastet killed ten people,' said the woman shortly.

'I'm really sorry,' Freya said guiltily, 'I can't stop myself.' She was silent for a moment then said, 'Can I see Thomas?' The woman hesitated then nodded. Freya got up and moved cautiously out of the tent. Several people looked at her with fear, suspicion and even hatred. Freya was amazed that they hadn't just thrown her out of the camp.

She made her way to the healing tent and found Thomas lying on a bed inside. He noticed her.

'Freya,' he said with a painful smile, 'I was hoping you would come.'

'Why?' Freya said, 'It's my fault you've been injured.'

'Well I do wish you'd told me about your curse,' Thomas said, 'but I know it must be hard for you. It's not your fault you can't control yourself in your Bastet form.'

'I was selfish,' Freya hung her head in shame, 'I endangered the lives of everyone in the camp because I was too scared to tell you.' Thomas expression turned serious.

'I want the full story Freya,' he said, 'The other druids would have thrown you out but I managed to convince them not to. But I need to know what happened.' Freya told him the full story and Thomas listened in silence.

'I'll try and get some druids to look for a cure,' he said when she'd finished, 'but don't get your hopes up. As far as I know there's no way to reverse a curse like that.'

'I'm sorry I didn't tell you before,' Freya said shamefully.

'I know,' Thomas said then winced in pain as he shifted slightly, 'If you'll excuse me, I need some rest,' Freya nodded and left the tent. She went straight back to her own tent not wanting to endure all the glares she was receiving.

While Freya was in her tent the druids discussed what to do with her. One suggested chaining her down during the night but Thomas knew that that wouldn't stop the Bastet. Another druid suggested using a variety of spells to subdue the beast and the others agreed to give it a try.

Because of the Bastet there were only a few tents left so many people had to sleep outside that night. The woman that had been with Freya when she woke up cast several spells on the sleeping girl, hoping that they would at least prevent her from attacking the rest of the camp.

They didn't work.

That night the Bastet went on another rampage and this time it destroyed every tent in the camp. The druids tried to restrain it with spells but the magic of the beast was too strong and it tore apart several people. The Bastet headed for the only tent that was still standing; the one where Thomas was lying.

Thomas could do nothing to defend himself and Freya could do nothing to stop herself. She tried to fight the Bastet and seemed to almost succeed but then the beast regained control. The tent was torn apart and Thomas was killed. The Bastet roared to the sky as it stood over the druid leader's body. Then it started to turn back into Freya.

As soon as Freya was herself again the druids started throwing stones at her. They no longer cared about the druid's belief of never turning away someone in need. The Bastet had killed at least half the people in the camp and destroyed all the tents. The druid's spells had been useless and without their leader there was no one to stop them from chasing Freya out of the camp.

Freya ran until she felt ready to collapse. Shivering she curled up against a large tree. She wasn't surprised that the druids had chased her away; in fact she would have been amazed if they hadn't, but it still hurt. She'd killed Thomas even after he'd saved her life and her heart was filled with guilt. It might have been better if the old woman had just killed her or if she'd died in the fire with the rest of her family.

Freya curled up into a ball beneath the tree and lay there until the sun started to rise over the horizon. She looked up at the sun and got to her feet. Then she stumbled away through the trees.


	3. Chapter 3

Freya wandered alone for several months, stealing food from villages and towns she came across and drinking and washing in rivers, lakes or streams. The Bastet appeared to have increased her hunter's sense, even while she was in human form, as she sometimes had to catch small animals in order to survive, though she only ate wild animals as a last resort. She grew to hate meat more and more thinking that the Bastet had probably killed enough people for the meat to last her a year. She felt even worse at the thought of being a cannibal and absolutely refused to eat the humans that the Bastet had killed, no matter how hungry she was. Freya was rarely able to change her clothes and on the occasions that she did they usually had at least one tear by the end of the day and got more tattered as time went by.

The girl eventually arrived at the forest of Balor though she had no idea what the place was, nor of the giant lizards known as Cockatrices that lived there. She had seen people travelling on the road near the forest and detoured to the woods in an attempt to avoid them.

Freya made herself a fire and huddled next to it wrapping her torn dress tighter around herself. Like the one she'd been given by Thomas, this dress was red but it wasn't in good shape. She'd need to try and steal a new one soon.

Freya just sat there watching the flames thinking about her life. She'd started off being so happy and carefree. Then that man had attacked her and she'd killed him. Her family had been killed in a fire and she'd been cursed to kill for the rest of her life. She felt extremely lonely and could only stay in towns or villages for a very short time because of her curse. Even then, the Bastet found at least one person to kill almost every night.

It was dark by the time she nodded off to sleep. As always she transformed that night and her beast form sniffed the air. The humans on the road had long gone but the Bastet didn't have wings for nothing. It flexed its wings preparing to take off when it heard a sound that seemed to be somewhere between a roar and a hiss. It turned as a massive Cockatrice about the same size as the winged panther stepped into the clearing. The Cockatrice looked like a massive lizard with two large ridges sticking out of its back and a long tail. Hissing the enormous lizard stepped forwards. The Bastet stood its ground, snarling. The prospect of fighting the Cockatrice excited the beast.

Hissing the Cockatrice lunged with the speed of a much smaller lizard. Fast as it was the Bastet was faster. The winged panther leapt aside and turned lunging back towards the Cockatrice shoving it down. The two monsters fought furiously, throwing up clouds of dust and leaves as they snapped and clawed at each other. They were well matched and neither seemed able to gain the advantage, though the Cockatrice hadn't yet managed to sink its venom filled fangs into the Bastet which would ensure its victory.

Spitting and snarling the Cockatrice clawed at the Bastet's shoulder forcing a whine of pain from the beast. The Bastet whirled smacking the Cockatrice in the face with its tail and the lizard staggered back. The Bastet leapt but the lizard intercepted it with its own tail sending the panther sprawling. The Cockatrice leapt on top of it, doing its best to sink its fangs into the Bastet's throat but the big cat braced its feet under its stomach and kicked it off with both legs before struggling to its feet. Amazingly the Bastet had still managed to avoid being bitten by its opponent.

They lunged again, standing on their hind legs as they wrestled with each other. Then the Bastet coiled its tail around the Cockatrice's leg and pulled it off its feet. The Cockatrice fell on its back and the Bastet leapt on top of it, sinking its fangs into the giant lizard's throat. The Cockatrice made a sound somewhere between a choke and a scream and then died.

The exhausted Bastet staggered back to the fire, which had been extinguished during the fight, too tired to go after the humans that had been on the road. It lay there for a few minutes before transforming back into Freya.

Freya was just as scratched and injured as the Bastet had been so she tore off parts of her dress to make bandages hoping that infection wouldn't set in. Then she lay down by the remains of the fire.

_At least I didn't kill any humans this time, _she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

The next day Freya woke up still sore from her fight with the Cockatrice. She stumbled out of the forest and headed towards the road, intending to go in the opposite direction to the people she'd seen the day before. The only good thing about fighting the Cockatrice was that it had distracted the Bastet from going after the humans.

Freya walked until she had found a stream which she decided to wash in, to clean out her scratches. The water made her feel more refreshed despite the cold. Because she'd spent so long washing in cold water, Freya was not really bothered by the iciness the water provided. Freya didn't know it but her magic was helping prevent infection.

Early the next morning Freya met two men clearing up their camp. They had a wagon behind them, with two horses and the wagon had a cage on the back. Freya started past them but then one of the men, a man of about forty with long blonde hair noticed her.

'Hello there missy,' he said, 'what's a girl like you doing out here.' His words reminded Freya of when she was attacked by Fernald.

'Travelling,' Freya said curtly.

'By yourself?' the other man said with a slight sneer, 'I can't see a little girl like you lasting long out here.'

'I'm tougher than I look,' Freya said moving past them but then the second man noticed her tattooed arm and his eyes widened as he stared at it.

'What's that?' he said. Freya looked at her birthmark.

'Oh it's just a birthmark,' she said. The man looked at her suspiciously.

'I know what you're thinking, Halig,' said the blonde man, 'A birthmark doesn't mean she'd magical.'

'Birthmarks are signs of magic,' hissed Halig; he believed that anyone with a birthmark was magical, thinking that no birthmark was there for no reason; 'I bet she's running away from king Uther's men. If we take her to him we could make a fortune.' Freya started to walk quickly away. Abandoning his gear Halig leapt onto one of his horses and followed her quickly overtaking Freya. She stopped and looked up at him.

'What do you want?' she asked.

'Are you a druid?' said Halig. Freya hesitated for a moment then shook her head. Halig sneered, 'I don't believe you,' He leapt down from his horse and moved towards her. Freya backed away but the blonde man came up behind her.

'Halig we don't know for sure if she's magical,' he said reasonably.

'You're far too soft!' snapped Halig, 'I don't know why I travel with you. Don't you want money? Even if the girl isn't magical we'll get a fortune as long as we say she's magical.' The blonde man was more compassionate than Halig but he was nevertheless a bounty hunter and the prospect of money was stronger than his sense of compassion.

'Fine,' he said and put a hand on Freya's shoulder, 'but we help her escape afterwards if it turns out she isn't magical.'

'You do that,' said Halig dismissively, 'I don't give a damn about her.'

'What are you going to do with me?' Freya said nervously.

'You could make us a fortune my dear,' said the blonde man and pulled her back towards the cage.

'Don't put me in there!' Freya cried, 'I'm not magical! I don't want to go in that cage!'

'Calm down,' said the blonde man, 'As soon as we get our money we…' Halig cleared his throat, 'I mean _I _will help you escape.'

'I don't trust you,' Freya said, 'I've been through enough to know that people like you aren't trustworthy.'

'Oh just toss her in the cage and let's go,' said Halig irritably.

'Sorry,' said the blonde man, 'but if you don't come quietly I'll have to force you.' Freya didn't move, neither struggling nor moving towards the cage, so the man grabbed her and pulled her towards the cage. Freya started struggling furiously as the man began to force her inside. Halig helped him.

Then Freya felt the same flare of power she'd felt when she killed Fernald and the instinctively pulled herself out of the bounty hunters grasp with supernatural strength.

'She _is _magical!' bellowed Halig in triumph, knowing that no girl of Freya's build could have pulled herself from the grip off two strong bounty hunters without magic. He and his partner pounced on Freya who dodged Halig's large bulk but was grabbed by his comrade. Freya slammed her foot into the man's stomach forcing him to let go and then, with her magic giving her strength far beyond that of an ordinary girl, she punched him in the chin with such force that his head snapped back and he flew into a tree and broke his neck, dying instantly.

Halig roared in rage and lunged at Freya drawing a knife. Freya felt her magic die down; she was horrified that she'd killed the man when she hadn't even transformed. The blonde guy was the second person she'd killed while she wasn't in her beast form and it was because she couldn't control her magic. Halig grabbed the girl by the neck and held the knife up to her face with his free hand.

'If you even think about using magic on me,' he snarled eyes flashing with rage, 'I'll cut your pretty little face to ribbons before handing you over to Uther.' Freya swallowed and nodded to show she understood. Halig dragged her to the cage keeping the knife to her throat the whole time. He shoved her into the cage and bound her wrists in manacles and chains. Halig put his face up close to Freya's, 'If you even think about using magic while we're travelling I will make you suffer horribly,' he hissed, 'Understand.' Freya nodded mutely; all the fight had gone out of her. Halig grunted in satisfaction and cleared up his camp and got onto the front of the wagon. In his haste to get his money the greedy bounty hunter had almost forgotten about his dead companion and when he remembered he was already over the hill. He shrugged. If his companion was dead then that meant more money for him. He wasn't a completely heartless man and felt a bit sad and angry that the man had died but he just left him where he was lying.

They travelled for the rest of the day and by the time they arrived at their destination it was already dark and had started to rain. Freya shivered and looked around at the street before seeing a huge castle towering above the town. She looked at it for a moment and then lowered her head and stared at her bound hands. She could break out of them with her supernatural strength but her heart wasn't in it and besides the strength came randomly and she couldn't control it. Perhaps it would be better if Uther just killed her; at least then she wouldn't have to turn into a murderous beast every night. The girl looked through the bars of her cage and quietly accepted her fate.

Halig hopped down from the wagon and came round to the cage. He growled at Freya through the bars and she flinched. Halig smirked slightly and strode off towards the nearby inn. Freya just sat there staring at the floor and shivering slightly in the cold.

Then she heard a door open and saw two people come out, one an old man and the other a boy about her age. At the sight of them Freya suddenly wanted to be free so she lunged at the bars. The boy turned in shock and moved away beside the old man.

'Gaius,' he said looking at Freya. The old man turned around and looked at Freya.

'She's fallen prey to a bounty hunter,' he said quietly. The boy looked at him.

'She's only a girl,' he said.

'I bet she'll make a good price though,' Gaius said.

'Someone's going to pay for her?'

'Uther offers a handsome reward for anyone with magic,' Gaius said.

'There must be something we can do,' said the boy looking back at Freya who watched them through the bars.

'Merlin,' said Gaius, 'bounty hunters are dangerous people. They're not ones to be meddled with. You of all people should understand that.' He turned and left. The boy, Merlin, looked at the girl in the cage as she turned away from him. After a moment Merlin went off after Gaius leaving Freya, cold, soaking and awaiting death in the cage.

Freya didn't know that Merlin would be back for her as soon as he could and nor could she have foreseen the bond that would form between them.

**I know Freya said that she was in the cage for a few days but if you think about it that doesn't make sense. She turns into a Bastet every night so if she had been in the cage for a few days Halig would know what her curse was. Therefore I decided to do the capture and the arrival in Camelot on the same day.**


End file.
